During our frequent flights between Bangalore and Singapore, we’d fly over Indonesia’s massive Sumatra island. This triggered my destination curiosity. Upon researching, I found Lake Toba, world’s largest volcano lake! Then Leuser National Park came on the radar. The stars aligned when an Indonesian friend from Jakarta joined, and we took this laid-back trip together.

Day 1: Batu Katak

Batu means rock, Katak means frog. Frog Rock was our first stop of the day. After landing at Kualanamu Airport, we took a prebooked car with our driver Chandra (No, he’s not Indian or connected to India. He’s not Hindu either. He’s Christian. Welcome to Indonesia!). We bypassed Medan city and exited the highway after about 1.5 hours. The next 1.5 hours on bumpy roads got us to this sleepy little place, Batu Katak, next to a shallow river with clear waters. After a bite of Nasi Goreng, we hiked with a local guide to see Bunga Bangkai or Titan Arum. Endemic to this part of the world, it is the world’s largest flower structure. It’s called a flower structure and not a flower because biologically it’s considered a cluster of tiny flowers, not one. For normal human eyes, it is one flower! We saw 3 Titan Arum at different stages of their life. It was especially breathtaking to see them in the middle of the jungle, in raw and uncurated surroundings.

It took 1 hour to go and get back. The distance isn’t much (2-3 kms to and fro) but wading through the rainforest requires full pants (preferably hiking pants) and insect repellent cream if you’re prone to bites like I am. My friend was fine without. Some steep sections required care for the knees but nothing crazy.

We were lucky to spot 2 Gibbons high up in the trees on our return. After a coffee, we continued north for 30 mins to reach Bukit Lawang to halt for the night. Amid the setting sun, it was fun to see kids playing in the river. It was a somewhat unique sight to see local children and tourists splashing in the water together.

Day 2: Leuser National Park Jungle Hike and Orangutan Encounter

After a quick bite and coffee, we set out with the guide for the jungle hike. The hike started with climbing up 100 stairs, into rubber plantations for half a kilometer and then entering the jungle jurisdiction. Spotting the mighty Orangutans is the main highlight of this trek. I was more drawn on the biophilic experience of being out in the jungle. None the less, what happened in the next hour was an encounter like never before. Just building up the suspense! Watch the video I created:

After a active morning, noon started with a slow lunch in 2 courses: tender coconut, sweet bananas, crunchy pineapple topped with passion fruit, followed by fried cassava with brown sugar sauce, pisang (fried banana) with chocolate sauce and coffee. The rest of the day was lazy. After a dip in the river, it was an early end to the day for over 8 hours of sleep.

Day 3: On the road to Toba Caldera

We planned to leave Bukit Lawang by 7:30 am but ended up starting early at 7 am. We decided to stop at a more exciting place for coffee and breakfast. That happened to be BFC Yasaka Coffee, the first of the nicer cafes on the trip. We made multiple stops throughout the day: active Mt Sinabung, majestic Sipisopiso waterfalls, a rundown historic cultural village (here and here), and delicious lunch at Tongging. We entered the lake from the west over the bridge that was built only last year, saving the need to wait for an infrequent ferry. (On the east side, ferry is the only option. Details coming later.) This area is home to Toba Batak people who are Christians. They’re known for their resistance to Dutch colonization. Music is an important element of Batak culture and is frequently heard all over the place. Look out for people randomly dancing! We hit the sack at Homestay Jabu dan Pantai SiRulo, owned and run by a friendly young owner who left a corporate job to build the place in the quieter part of the island.

Day 4: Lake Toba and Samosir

I jumped out of bed early for the morning views of the lake. The host treated us to Mie Gomak, a Batak cuisine breakfast. Thick noodles (uncommon in the rest of Indonesia) in spicy coconut milk. It was yummy. There was a Thai/kaffir lime type taste that I was told came from a local spice called Andaliman Pepper. We started the day with our driver Chandra’s recommendation of visiting the Tele Tower. It’s an observation tower with an elevated walkway for panoramic views of the lake and the surrounding valley. A noisy and fun group of aunties entertained us halfway up the walkway! The place is also dotted with facts and figures about Toba Caldera’s creation and evolution

The next stop, Bukit Holbung. After a coffee break (yes, coffee breaks were an important ritual throughout the trip), a 20-minute uphill walk got us to the top. The wavy, rolling hills overlooking Lake Toba were absolutely stunning. There was an event team packing up tents. They organize overnight camping on top of the hill. I’m wondering how clear the night sky would be!

After a couple of stops, we returned to the homestay, checked out and moved to another place of stay in Tuk Tuk. En route, we stopped at Huta Siallagan, a cultural village that showcases Batak culture and architecture.

My friend was leaving today and it made sense for me to stay overnight in Tuk Tuk for logistical reasons. Tuk Tuk is also the most common place tourists stay. The place turned out to be a simple room facing the lake and a minute from the ferry boarding point. I chuckled when one of the guys introduced the place as the “main ferry port of Samosir island” because it was an unmanned narrow platform structure that was partially damaged. Turns out, he was right! I took the ferry to the mainland from the very spot the next day. For the record, there’s another place called Ambarita for ferries that can take vehicles onboard. With my friend gone, I spent the evening by the lake. After sunset, I walked around the area, bought Andaliman pepper, tasted the juice of a fruit called Tamarillo and ate a simple eggplant dish with rice at Horas Vegetarian restaurant. At this place, I ran into Agung, the man behind exploringsumatra.com. I was using their site and YouTube channel to research for this trip. The content is so deep and relevant, I stopped searching after finding them online.

Day 5: The ferry saga & return

Public transport services like trains, buses and ferries are not extensive and neither are they well published. If not using private transport like a car, a plan B and buffer time are mandatory. For the day of my return, the RORO (roll-on roll-off) ferry which operates every hour was full. So Chandra took the car to the mainland the previous day and the plan was for me to take the passenger ferry from the “main ferry port of Samosir island” right opposite my place of stay. Before leaving the previous day, my friend made extensive arrangements. The plan was to be at the boarding point at 9:50 am for the ferry at 10 am. The whole neighborhood knew the plan. Okay, I’m over-exaggerating, a couple of people knew. I went at 9:30 am and waited. No people, no movement. Turns out the 10 am ferry was cancelled or probably didn’t exist. I hung around another hour enjoying the last few minutes of the lake and took the 11 am ferry. Chandra was waiting for me. Before leaving Parapat for the 3-hour road journey to Kualanamu airport, we drove up to Bukit Senyum for another grand view of the lake, this time with Samosir Island in the backdrop.

The trip to the airport was uneventful with stops for lunch and, of course, the last coffee!

Conclusion

I will go again to Lake Toba. Nothing more say in conclusion!

You know how to reach me. If not, X @rajspace & Instagram